Discrimination-Based Teacher Education Plan

[392cobra]

It's no wonder Johnny can't read.

A branch of the University of Minnesota may require all education students at the school to understand and accept that they are either privileged or oppressed and that they be well-versed in issues like "white privilege," "institutional racism” and the "myth of meritocracy in the United States."

The task group, formed as part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative at the state university, aims to change how future teachers are trained, based on the assertion that the teachers' lack of "cultural competence" contributes to minority students' poor grades.

Some of the proposed curriculum requirements are:

• "Future teachers will be able to discuss their own histories and current thinking drawing on notions of white privilege, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression."

• Teachers will be able to articulate a "critical analysis of this story of America, for what it illuminates and what it hides or distorts" including:


- "myth of meritocracy in the United States"
- "historical connections between scientific racism, intelligence testing, and assumptions of fixed mental capacity"

- "alternative explanations for mobility (and lack of it)"

- "history of demands for assimilation to white, middle-class, Christian meanings and values"

- "history of white racism, with special focus on current colorblind ideology"


• "Future teachers are able to explain how institutional racism works in schools" and recognize that "schools and classrooms are often structured in ways that advantage and disadvantage some groups but are also critical sites for social and cultural transformation."

But while some teachers might want to be instruments of "social and cultural transformation," Kissel says, "Some might just want to teach math."

"The idea is if you don't have the right views then we're going to give you remedial classes, and if we still can't turn you to the right views, than we're not going to give you your credential," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,...est=latestnews

[Dan40]

I'm so relieved. I thought is was because, from the cradle to the grave, we GIVE the minority "students" Food, Clothing, Housing, and Money. We do not require that they even attend school, let alone get decent grades, nor do we require that they work or even try to find a job. Thereby destroying their self esteem, crushing their ambition and individualism, and removing all self respect and respect for their country.
But its the teachers that didn't know that they were the problem all along.
Utterly amazing the BS liberals can invent!

[Excaliber]

Man, what will those conservatives try to put on our kids next?

[Maricopa]

"myth of meritocracy in the United States."

Well we certainly know it doesn't exist in the publik skool teecher realm....or in who they allow to post on Cobra forums.

[Wayne Maybury]

By the way, what's wrong with some teachers just wanting to teach math? or physics, or chemistry, or economics, or marketing, or.........well, you see what I think.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

That is why the United States is falling so far behind other countries. While we are more concerned about being PC and not making students learn anything they don't want to, other countries are teaching math, science, and other things that deal with real life instead of the BS we have here. And their students have to either learn or fail. We have some brilliant students here who want to learn but it seems the Govt. is doing everything they can to make it hard for them. I guess Obama and his group of illiterate advisers subscribe to the theory that an informed and intelligent citizenry is a dangerous threat to their power.

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

Ron

In my opinion there has always been a relatively small percentage of the population that is stupid and/or lazy as well as a a relatively small percentage that is brilliant. The majority falls somewhere in between.

Historically those members of the majority that didn't work hard, fell behind while those that did work hard or were lucky, moved ahead. It seems that over the past 20 or 30 years, there has been a trend whereby everyone is supposed to succeed (to some extent) no matter how little effort they make. This seems to just be one more step in dumbing down the educational system.

Many years ago welfare was restricted to those unfortunate people that really needed help. Today it is a right that is handed down from one generation to the next. Many youngsters that grow up in a welfare environment just put in their time at school waiting until they are old enough to begin to get their own handouts. They tend to look at education as an annoyance since they don't need to be educated to collect welfare. It must be really difficult to be a teacher these days and it must also be difficult to be a young person wanting to get a quality education since many of their class mates don't give a damn.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

We still have some very brilliant young people but it is getting harder and harder for them to get into a good college because of the BS of having to let unqualified minorities and anyone else who thinks they want to party for 4 years in first. My doctor's son, who is now a doctor, had to go to 5 different medical schools before he found one that would accept him as they had to fill their quotas of minorities and other crap. He was a straight A honor student in high school and scored high on his SAT tests, but those people don't have to take any tests. And they will be given diplomas and a person to read them to them so they know what they say.

Ron

[Cobrabill]

Get rid of "tenure".75% of the problems solved.

[turnpike boy]

Originally Posted by Cobrabill

Get rid of "tenure".75% of the problems solved.

Wrong - this simply allows that most corrupt of systems, the education system, to fill its' ranks with the stooges and lackeys that are cronies of the administrators. Politics in school systems are flagrant and exclusionary - that is why tenure was instituted. Whistleblowers and people of integrity are booted as fast as possible....you're not welcome if you rock the boat.

That said, the tenure system requires overhaul to enable shedding the true dead weight teachers. But first, there must be oversight of the administrators - who are a monumental obstruction to true reform and efficient practice. THEY are the ones who establish the protocols of business in schools - THEY are the ones truly responsible for the abject disgrace our schools have become.

[Excaliber]

I agree turnpike, we need a more balanced approach to the problem of "tenure", without throwing it out all together.

[PDUB]

CobraBill and TP Boy, either of you work in higher education?

[turnpike boy]

Originally Posted by PDUB

CobraBill and TP Boy, either of you work in higher education?

Not directly. Wife is an elementary teacher (32 years) and daughter is also (4 years). While not a teacher myself, it is impossible to escape the impact that administrations heap on staff when so close to the action. It would take far too long to give you blow-by-blow examples, but they are manifest to both in my family.

PDUB, as Anthony noted parent involvement plays a major role in the success - and lack thereof - of kids in school. The sh*t that happens here is almost too surreal to accept as fact....but it is.

How about you, PDUB? - are you an employee of the system?

[Cobrabill]

Originally Posted by PDUB

CobraBill and TP Boy, either of you work in higher education?

No.............

[PDUB]

Originally Posted by turnpike boy

Not directly. Wife is an elementary teacher (32 years) and daughter is also (4 years). While not a teacher myself, it is impossible to escape the impact that administrations heap on staff when so close to the action. It would take far too long to give you blow-by-blow examples, but they are manifest to both in my family.

PDUB, as Anthony noted parent involvement plays a major role in the success - and lack thereof - of kids in school. The sh*t that happens here is almost too surreal to accept as fact....but it is.

How about you, PDUB? - are you an employee of the system?

Originally Posted by Cobrabill

No.............

Yes, the parents/family are the driving factor!

No, I am not an employee of the system. However, I have been a tenured professor in higher education, and worked at multiple institutions, large and small, in the past.

Tenure is a complex issue. Though, tenure would not really be an issue for you TPB, since that is typically found in higher ed., rather than in primary and secondary education. As for "heaps of impact," to a great extent, gov't regulation plays a large role. And, I think it is only going to continue to get worse.

In general, I think administrators are not using tenure as a means to stack the faculty ranks with lackeys, etc. Rather, it is department-level faculty, acting on agenda, who seek to recruit "like-minded" comrades to join the ranks. This is especially true in public institutions' arts type programs... less so in science, technology, and engineering. It is much less of an issue with private institutions. I have seen very good talent unfairly chased out due to political/world view conflicts.

The notion of tenure is noble... protecting academic freedom. One does not have to look far to see the potential for abuse of academic freedom in the recently revealed emails from the climate scientists in the UK. Researchers going against global warming were/are likely at risk. The video on the Cloud Mystery that Kirkham posted is another indicator of this potential.

Tenure as an institution is clearly under attack and has been for some time. But, I think that the problem/reason it has come under attack is two-fold. First, faculty have lost control of the academy. In the process, they have not been fastidious about policing their ranks for adequate performance once a person achieves tenure. To be sure, they are active in regulating performance at the tenure/promotion review process. But, this is lost in some cases after the full-professor rank is reached. The primary responsibility resides with the faculty to take action, but they typically don't. In fact, when an administrator attempts to take action there is an outcry of foul; a perception of attacking academic freedom. No doubt, the problem is that it is a slippery slope; one that could easily be abused. Thus, many are reticent to attempt to oust a tenured faculty member. Yet, each year tenured faculty are fired/dismissed for cause. And lawsuits abound.

Second, many faculty have crossed the line into political activism, which compromises their integrity as teachers. No need to give examples... we've all seen them in recent years.

I think that in some cases, the faculty have called this scrutiny on themselves. Faculty that become lazy/unprepared create and issue. Faculty that teach agenda driven (on either side) topics stray from the initial protection of academic freedom as outlined in early documents.

Both the public at large and the academic community should look back to the AAUP's 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and re-establish the tenure system under this form (I think this is available at the AAUP website). This documentation provides definitive guidelines to validate solid parameters for professional conduct within the tenure system, dispelling some of the suspicion by those outside of the academy that tenure was conceived and devised merely as a means of securing a life-term position so that professors could relax and get by with as little as possible. The original intent of tenure is clearly stated; it was not for the well-being of the professor or individual colleges, but for the welfare of society – a means of promoting the common good.

Within each of the sections on academic freedom, there is a protection for the teacher, but these protections are accompanied by restrictions and responsibilities. Section a promotes that the teacher is to have academic and research freedom, but only so long as teaching duties are not neglected. Section b outlines that the teacher is to have freedom of expression in the classroom, so long as a personal, unrelated agenda does not interfere with the subject matter. In section c, the document notes that teachers have all the rights of private citizens. However, due to the respect afforded to the noble profession of teaching, they must conduct even matters in the private community with honor, accuracy, dignity, and respect, knowing that the opinions expressed reflect not just personally on the individual teacher, but also on the institution in particular and the profession in general.

Now, most institutions are addressing something called "post-tenure review." This is another process for evaluation of senior faculty, meant to dispell public dissatisfaction with the tenure system.

I must say that most of the people I worked with were quite productive. Higher ed. faculty typically have a three-pronged responsibilty set that includes teaching, scolarly activity, and service. I was fortunate to have been able to accomplish all three successfully. Many do it very well, but you know what they say about a few bad apples...

This became longer than I had anticipated, so I will stop here. If anyone really is interested (NOT!), I'll be happy to discuss potential consequenses of dismantling the tenure system. I hope this helps in general understanding of the system...

[Anthony]

I think the problem with education is not with the school system/teachers. It's with the parents, and their lack of involvement in the education process. My parents spent countless hours with me and my siblings, before even starting school going over reading and math skills. I do the same with my kids. There are so many parents who donlt have the time or even care about their childs learning, and leave the education process entirely up to the school system. What a big mistake. The high school failure rates traces back to the families, and their lack of involvement in educating and raising their children. Until you fix the family problems, you will never fix the education problem.

[Wayne Maybury]

Originally Posted by Anthony

I think the problem with education is not with the school system/teachers. It's with the parents, and their lack of involvement in the education process. My parents spent countless hours with me and my siblings, before even starting school going over reading and math skills. I do the same with my kids. There are so many parents who donlt have the time or even care about their childs learning, and leave the education process entirely up to the school system. What a big mistake. The high school failure rates traces back to the families, and their lack of involvement in educating and raising their children. Until you fix the family problems, you will never fix the education problem.

Anthony, we have a 4 year old grand daughter that is with us 2 days per week . I have been doing ABC's and numbers with her since she was 2. She didn't understand at first but she can now do the full alphabet as well as count to the mid teens in English and in French. I am trying to teach her how to write her letters but she hasn't grasped the concept quite yet. She likes to make lots of H's but no A's, B's or C's so far. None the less, I try to spend a few minutes doing something constructive with her every day. It has to be fun for her and of course a 4 year old has a very short span of attention. I have learned to be patient.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

A good friend of mine in Chico has a daughter that is really something. They started teaching her when she was 3 and by the time she was ready for kindergarten, the school wanted to start her in the 3rd grade. Dave told them no, she was going to go to every grade and grow up without all that pressure, but she could graduate now if he would let them move her ahead.

Ron

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

Anthony, we have a 4 year old grand daughter that is with us 2 days per week . I have been doing ABC's and numbers with her since she was 2. She didn't understand at first but she can now do the full alphabet as well as count to the mid teens in English and in French. I am trying to teach her how to write her letters but she hasn't grasped the concept quite yet. She likes to make lots of H's but no A's, B's or C's so far. None the less, I try to spend a few minutes doing something constructive with her every day. It has to be fun for her and of course a 4 year old has a very short span of attention. I have learned to be patient.

Wayne

One major goal of a parent is to help your child be the best they can be, be the "smartest" they can be, to the best of their ability, whatever that may be.

I now can really relate to my parents, how they must have felt about me whenever I did well, probably the same feeling I have for my kids when they do well. What a terrific feeling.

[Wayne Maybury]

Anthony

I look back and realize that I could have been a much better student when I was young. Learning was just too easy for me so I never really became very good at studying and/or preparing for exams. I always passed and at the time, that was good enough for me.

Fast forward past years of motorcycles, fast cars, lots of girls and too much beer; to a married man with a wife and 2 daughters. I went back to school at night and earned a B. Comm. followed by an M.B.A. I can tell you that I had to learn to be a good student at that point in my life or else I would never have been able to achieve that level of success.

After graduating with an M.B.A., I began to teach part time and I continue to do until this day.

Wayne